February

Total Defence Day

It was on Friday, 9 February 2018, that Crescent Girls’ School commemorated Total Defence Day. The commemoration opened with the singing of the National Anthem accompanied by our very own Symphonic Band. There was then a march-in parade of the various uniformed groups followed by a poignant speech delivered by our Principal. The sequence of events reminded everyone of the historical significance of the event and the importance of defending Singapore, our home.

In line with this year's Total Defence Day theme of "Together we keep Singapore Strong", the CrezAmbassdors planned and carried out a skit that simulated a terrorist attack during the assembly programme. The aims of the skit were to highlight the prevalent threat of terrorism and how coming together as one body is important to combat this threat. The skit showcased hostages that had been captured by terrorists and rescue efforts centered round the school’s ability to provide the right answers for the questions posed. The questions served as a springboard to not only engage the prior knowledge of students, but also to broaden and widen the knowledge of the student body with regard to the topic of Total Defence.

In addition to the skit during the Assembly programme, various level competitions were also organized for the student body in the lead-up to the actual commemoration. Through the creation of posters and social media posts to spread awareness and knowledge about the importance of Total Defence, students were able to further internalize, understand and take ownership of Total Defence efforts.

With this year’s resounding success, we look forward to an even greater and enriching Total Defence Day commemoration in 2019.

Reported by: Michelle Jean Chew Yixuan (4G2)

Chinese New Year
Celebrations

Crescent held the Chinese New Year celebrations on 15 February. Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring festival, this celebration is one of the highlights of our school events. I vividly remember the festive atmosphere that morning, with lanterns hung around school, spring couplets adorning doorways of classrooms, bright red ribbons and many other red-coloured decorations.

This year’s celebration was very special for me, as I was one of the emcees for the Chinese New Year concert with my friend Olivia. Many fellow Crescentians were wearing red colour costumes or the traditional Chinese Cheongsam, adding to the festive mood.

First, we watched a video produced by the Chinese Special programme (CSP) students. The next item was a graceful traditional dance performed by the Chinese and Modern Dance society, followed by a song performance by five secondary three Chinese students. They displayed their musical talents as they played various instruments such as the Gu Zheng, piano and guitar, as well as performed a Chinese dance. Soon after, I presented a Chinese song with my friend Yue Ning, who played the violin.

After announcing the results of the class decoration contest and giving out mandarin oranges to the guests, teachers and staff, we welcomed a group of artists from China, 大连大学音乐学院 and 白世音文化艺术, who entranced everyone with various traditional and acrobatic dances. The mask-changing performance by the Beijing opera, where abstract, symbolic gestures were used by the actress, with traditional features of the masklike makeup and elaborate costumes, was amazing.

The concert ended on a grand note - a lively lion dance, performed by our very own Chinese dancers, accompanied by loud drums and stilt-walking. Lastly, to close this exciting programme, our principal, Mrs Chong, said a few words to all of us to wish us a prosperous new year ahead.

This amazing programme was a great success thanks to all the people who supported the event, such as the AVA team, Chinese and modern dance society, the student council, and especially the teachers in the Mother Tongue Language Department for organising the event. It was a colourful and memorable experience for all of us and gave us a great window into the elegance, beauty and charm of the traditional Chinese culture.

Reported by Amritha

OBS 2017

Out of all the things we thought we’d experience at Outward Bound Singapore, taking a leap of faith into the sea from the jetty (also known as the jetty jump) would probably not have been the first to come to mind. This was one of the many new and exciting experiences we went through. OBS was filled with out-of-the-ordinary experiences that we would not have been able to experience back on mainland.

All of us who took part in the 5D4N camp were made to step out of our comfort zones to push through the many challenges that came with being in the outdoors, among them mosquitoes, sandflies and strenuous activities like trekking with heavy loads and kayaking out in the sea for hours. Most of us also had to overcome our fear of heights when we did the high elements courses. Teamwork was essential throughout the camp as we were pushed to lead many expeditions by ourselves. Moreover, we had to work together and encourage one another whenever we were tired and needed our spirits to be lifted.

OBS brought many of us from different schools together and although the activities we went through were daunting and tiring at first, the friendship and lessons that came along with it taught us many things and made the experiences more enjoyable. The bonds we forged and life skills we picked up from OBS are invaluable and truly memorable, making OBS a unique journey for all of us.